Opinions on Southpark and Family Guy
- Author: Josh Kinal
- Filed under: reviews
- Tagged with: animation • family guy • south park
Apr 7,2007
So I’ve created a new category for the posts called Southpark v Family Guy. It will show you the posts where all the comments about this topic are as well as whatever we’ve posted about the issue.
After the jump I’ve included a letter from Riley Boxcutter so that no voice goes unheard in this debate.
If you have an opinion, this is where to voice it. If you’ve sent us an email and I haven’t included it, I’m sorry but make me aware of it and I’ll add yours in too.
Enjoy the argument.
Now read the letter(s):
This one came from Riley Boxcutter:
Hi there, Boxcutters
Long-time listener, first time e-mailer…to this e-mail address.
Just finished listening to Episode 78 – not a patch on Episode 77.
Still, Ross asked that we write in to advise of whether we think the Family Guy is funny, and as this is a topic close to my heart, I appreciate the opportunity to respond.
My feelings can be summed up in a simple sentence: Ross and Josh are 100% correct. In an even simpler sentence: FAMILY GUY NOT FUNNY.
So many people tell me that I would love it, and every time I give it another go (and I must have tried twenty or so times), I just sit there, bored, watching very predicatble and puerile humour, wondering what I must be doing wrong such that so many people think that I’m in Family Guy’s target audience. It’s quite disconcerting.
As for Marieke’s article in The Green Guide (which also flummoxed me a little), I do agree that the characters of the Family Guy get away with saying things that characters on the Simpsons don’t, but then again, so do characters on The Ronnie Johns half-hour. “Oo-er”-style risqu?-ness (clear affinity with the English language coming out in that phrase) does not a funny series make.
Ahhhh! It feels so good to be able to get that out.
Thanks, and keep on boxing.
Actually, that should be “cutting”.
Riley Boxcutter
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7 Responses for "Opinions on Southpark and Family Guy"
This whole things seems to have gotten off on the wrong foot. For those who think that I don’t like South Park because of my criticisms of it:
I am a South Park fan. I have seen every episode at least twice, most more than that. I own much South Park merchandise.
My question to Ross was not really a “challenge” to explain why South Park is worth watching. I know it is funny. It was just that the objection to Family Guy on the grounds of an inadequate explanation is not really sufficient. Not every episode is great – but neither is every episode of South Park or The Simpsons.
Ross and Josh ask “why so much love for Family Guy” – but I ask why there is so much hate? I mean, I couldn’t sit through an episode of The Amazing Race, but I don’t go around dissing the show, or people who like it. Each to their own. I even put up with Josh gushing over it on the podcast without hitting the fast-forward button.
And Riley – Family Guy is puerile? It’s predictable? Do you like South Park? It’s goddamn puerile and predictable. In fact, it’s marketed as being puerile. But that doesn’t mean it’s not funny.
I’m also not sure how you can imply that Family Guy is more predictable that South Park. With a South Park episode, you can usually predict the entire storyline from the opening minutes. I’d really like to see you predict the tangential cut-away scenes from Family Guy. They may often be unfunny, but predictable is one thing they certainly are not. Unless you’re a Manatee, I guess.
Anyway, you can be sure to see another dozen or so pages of my ranting about South Park in days to come, but for now I leave you with a little treat from Matt and Trey:
Universal Studios Employee Video
Enjoy!
Ok, so I watched tonight’s Family Guy – the whole thing – just to give it a shot. And now I feel kinda sick I have to say, but I’ll plough on.
It’s random and abstract and just kind of pointless. It really is just horrible.
To me its a sign of the end of civilization. You come this far and this is the kind of output you end up with. It’s like an all you can eat restaurant – the food is not great, but if you don’t care it will fill you up eventually. Or the increasingly dumb selection of “films” that get produced, like ‘Charlie’s Angels’ or ‘Tomb Raider’ (and I imagine 300 – although I am yet to see it), films that deliberately have no plot, the idea being who needs a plot if it looks great? Long action set piece after action set piece, all style, no substance. Shhh, make it loud and fast and nobody will notice. What the plot makes no sense? It’s ok, here’s a car chase.
That’s Family Guy’s entire M.O., cram as many jokes in there as possible. Just put more and more and more jokes in, some will have to stick. This reminded me of the time… insert unrelated gag… Ohh, here’s a joke about masturbation, etc etc.
It’s just mindless, pointless garbage. And before you say it, no it is not that same with South Park. There is always some sort of level there.
All that having been said, I am clearly in the minority when it comes to wanting more from entertainment than might please the average ten year old boy.
And you are right Dishy, I love heaps of stuff many other people couldn’t stomach. And each to their own. Some of my best friends are Family Guy lovers. So you guys keep enjoying.
I’ll just sit quietly in my corner, weeping for the end of society…
Hmmm … the Oprah’s Vagina episode wasn’t pointless and random? The Terance and Phillip episode wasn’t just throwing out a bunch of fart jokes?
I find this hugely ironic, because Family Guy has many cultural references that someone that young wouldn’t pick up on. It references a huge body of film and entertainment.
Meanwhile, South Park’s cultural references never go much past what a 13 year-old wouldn’t be familiar with. Like current TV hits (24 for example), Playstations, and celebrities like Tom Cruise.
Family Guy isn’t always great, and doesn’t have much of a plot, but when the jokes are funny, they are way funnier than any joke ever told on South Park.
South Park is consistently sort-of-funny, but rarely laugh-out-loud funny. Family Guy is often paoinfully unfunny, but also often gut-bustingly funny.
I say again: Stewie doing Bill Shatner? Osama bin Laden doing stand-up comedy? Peter’s personal theme music?
How can you not piss yourself at those?
P.S:
You are wrong about the end of society.
Society will actually end because of MySpace and Twitter, not Family Guy.
dishy, I think the reason you perceive some sort of vitriolic hatred of Family Guy is because people who love it can’t seem to comprehend that others don’t. I have just tried watching 2 more eps of FG and the only thing that made me smile a little was the sight of a Segway – and that was because it reminded me of GOB in Arrested Development, not for the intrinsic nature of the Segway or its use in the ep. I just don’t get it…
And just because something has a lot of cultural references doesn’t necessarily make it good or funny.
Let’s all agree to disagree, including no more bagging of Brett by Josh and Ross, hug, and find something we mutually hate. Or love.
I agree with catbrain even though I enjoy Family Guy. I have many friends who enjoy Family Guy and many friends who either don’t understand the humor or don’t find it funny. I am also a really big fan of South Park and yet again I have many friends who enjoy South Park and many friends who either don’t understand the humor or don’t find it funny. I think that in answer to the end of catbrains post we should all go back to mutually hating the wedge.
OH!!!!!!!! Don’t get me started on The Wedge!!!!
Also, I had a friend who once said “People who like Tintin like Asterix, but people who like Asterix don’t like Tintin”.
Is the same true for South Park and Family Guy? You’ll find people who like both and people who like just South Park but it is rare to find people who like Family Guy and dislike South Park*.
Agree? Disagree?
(*Except maybe Dishy as it is VERY clear Dishy hates South Park. He he he
)
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